The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-07-08
HON. NEAL DOW, VS.. HON. J.
w. SPARKS.
GOOD READING MATTER.
How is This?

will explain itself. forbear fur
Their criticism of Mr.. Sparks speech
at present, regarding Mr.. BOWS let
ter sufficient for an initial dose.
B. T. HAYNES.
Portland, June, 18th 1887.-Rev.
B.F. Haynes, Dear Sir: Your
note of the 10th inst. is just receiv-
ed, inclOsing a printed paragraph,
said to be part of a speech of State
Senator Hon. j. w. Sparks. It
Is:
''But I will pass on now to 1857,
when Maine passed what was and
is now known as the Maine Law un
der the leadership of Neal Dow.
after figuring IN Prohibition in
Maine and the country over since
1851, now says, or has said recent
ly in public speeches, that the whole
thing is failure, and that Prohrbi-
ton does not prohibit"
1 am not little surprised that
''this same man." j. w. Sparks
did not provide for decent retreat
from the falsehood contained in the
few lines which you sent me. IF Mr..
Sparks had said: 81 am told SO"
or, "the newspapers say =" he would
have escaped all responsibility for
the lie. But he says it is so. Per
haps Mr.. Sparks may be surprised
TO learn that I never said that at
any time, or anywhere. On the
contrary, have said a thousand
times in the ne wspapers, the maya
zines, and on the platform, that the
Maine Law is now and has been
from the first a great success.
l. 1t has suppressed every distil-
lery and every brewery in the State;
we had many of them.
2. 1t has swept clean of the liquor
traffic more than three fourths of
of the State, containing more than
three fourths of our population. In
all our rural districts, and our small
Ter towns and villages, the traffic in
any form, is practically unknown.
An entire generation has grown up
without having seen u saloon, know
ing nothing of the influences of
places where strong drink is sold.
In Maine the word failure" as ap.
piled to this law, is never heard
from anybody, though we have ma
ny who do not like it; nor is it ever
seen IN any OF the newspapers, ex-
cept SEINE that come to US from
New York, Ohio, Missouri, Chicago,
Texas, Tennessee, and other places
far away.
8. In 1884 after more than thirty
years experience of the blessings of
Prohibition, our people put it into
the constitution by majority OF
47,O75, the affirmative vote being
nearly three times larger than the
negative.
4. Before the enactment eff the
law, Maine was said to be the poorest
State in the Union, our people spen9
ding IN drink the entire taxable
property of the State in every period
OF less than twenty-five years, as the
people of the nation are now doing
in every period of thirty-6ve years.
5. Names share of the national
drink Uill would be now about thir-
teen million dollars, but half a null
ion will pay the cost of all the liq-
uor smuggled INTO the Sta e, and
sold in violation of law.
6. Maine is now one of the most
prosperous STATES in the Union. We
save directly more than twelve mill
lion dollars, and indirectly as much
more III both cases annually, which
but for the Maize law wo uld be
spent and wasted in drink.
Z In the old lum time, all over
the State, there were obtrusiye and
offensive indications everywhere of
poverty, dilapidation, and decay.
Now such symptoms of the liquor
curse are seen nowhere.
8. Our industries are greatly mul~
tiplied and extended, with abun-
dant capital with which to conduct
them probably We have a great
deal of outside capital. seeking safe
investments in other states. Be-
fore the law we borrowed money OF
all who were foolish enough to trust
us; now we borrow of nobody, but
lead largely III exchange for the Sc
cunties of other States, Tennessee
being one Of them, as L personally |
know.
8. Prohibition is accepted by all
our people as the settled, &xed poll
icy ofthe State. 1t can 10 more
be changed than can our policy of
civil, religious, and personal liberty.
Ihs valued by our people as our
form of government is, end our poll
icy OF free, universal ed ucation.
10. Before the Maine law our
people were shittless, thriftless, poor;
low they are active, industrious.
,nterprising, thrifty, rich. The iiq-
,rtrof;, earns nothino-its infin- ,